Combined tie and rail fastener



INVENTOR I /fdff/f/ fda/J Afa/d 'ATTORNEY` Feb. 19 1924.

F. G. ALFORD COMBINED TIE AND RAIL FASTENER Filed Aug. r

Patented Feb. 1.9, 1924.

COMBINED "Tia AND RAIL rAsTENEa.

Application led August 7, 1922. I Serial No. 580,040.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, F minimiert GORDON ALFORD, .a citizen of the United States, residing at Algona, in the county of King and State of lVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsl in Combined Tie and Rail Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is the provision of an inexpensively constructed, durable and elicient railwaytie and the novel manner in which track rails are secured thereto.

Other more specific objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description.

VThe invention consists in the novel construction, adaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings,-

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, said section being taken onV broken line 1-1 of F ig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan View of Fig. 1 with the rail omitted from the left hand side and the rail-clamping devices in section. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section through 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the removable bridge members, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a rail clamp.

In said drawings, the reference numeral 10'designates a railway tie of a substantially U-shape in transverse section to' afford a bottom element 11 and vertical side elements 12.

The upper portions of said side elements are rigidly held in spaced relation by pairs oftransversely arranged struts 13 and 14. Between the complementary struts of each pair the side elements of the tie are provided a short distance from their upper edges with apertures 15 of substantially ob-l long shapes for the insertion therethrough of bridge members 16. Each of these members is in the nature of a block which is desirably of a channel shape in tranverse section with side walls 17 of lengths equal to the distance between the side walls 12 of the tie. f

The bottom wall 18 of a member 16 ex- Vtends beyond the ends of the side walls 17 thereof to afford projections 20 to engage against the tie parts 21 above the respective apertures 15 when the same are held thereagainst by means of clamping menibers 22. Y

These clamping vmembers are each formed of bar steel or-` other suitable material which is bent or pressed to provide a vertical portion 23 between an arm 24C which extends underneath the bridge member 16 and an arm 25 which extends over one of the flanges 26 o-fa track rail 27 which is seated upon the side elements 12 of the tie. The arms 2i and 25 are arranged in diverging relations with respect to eachv other. lSaid clamping members, two .for each bridge member, are disposed at opposite sides of the latter and are secured in operative positions by means of headed bolts 28 and 29 extending through apertures such as 30 and 31, respectively, of the clamping members and bridge` members and also through the struts 13 and 14, as best shown in Fig. 2. Said bolts are screw threaded to receive nuts 32 and 33 atvopposite sides of the respective struts for regulating the positions of the rails 27 transversely and for securing the clamping members 16 in their rail holding positions. l

Recesses 34L are desirably provided in the bridge blocks 16 to accommodate the parts 23 of the respective clamping members.v The invention is operated as follows:

The bridge members 16 are first inserted.

through the openings 15 into the tie and the clamping members 22 and the associated bolts 28 and 29 are then applied to said members. The rails 27 are successively placed upon the tie above the bridge members and engaged by the clamping members which are temporarily secured upon the tie by means of the bolts 28, 29 and the nutsl 32, 33. After being thus" connected with several ties the rails are adjusted transversely of the track by regulating said nuts as, for exampleby retracting nuts-33 of the bolts and tightening up on the nuts 32 of the bolt 29 forl either rail the latter is drawn with the bridge member toward they adjacent end of the tie. rvThe rail is moved in the opposite direction byretracting nuts 32 of they bolts and tightening up thenuts'V 33 ofthe bolt28. Y

After a rail has been adjusted all of the vnuts are tightened upto rigidly lock the rail and the associated bridge member together and also toV secure both to the tie by clampingy the tie between the same.

yThe nuts are arranged to be conveniently actuated by a suitable wrench at opposite sides of the rail and cooperate with the bolts and bridge members to not only effect the clamping of the rails to a` tie. but also are utilized to adjust the rail transversely upon the tie.

llhat I claim, is,-

l. The combination With e trackrail, and a metal tie of a substantially U-shape transverse section having apertures in its side elements and provided with spaced struts rigid with the tie and extending between its side elements, of ay bridge member et greater length than the Width of the tie and engagev able in said apertures and, movable lengthwise of the tie between said struts, a pair of rail-engaging members connected te seid bridge member, and means Connecting the tie struts with the rail-engagingmembers for regulating and clampingthe saine successively t0 the tie.

2. The combination with a track-rail, a metal tie of e substantially U-shape having apertures in its side elements', and spaced struts rigidV With the tie and extending be.- tWeen the side elements thereof, of a bridge member adapted to he inserted into the tie through either of said apertures and of' greater length than the Width of the tie, a clamping member provided at each side of the rail and adapted to respectively engage against the upper surface of the adjacent FREDERCK GORDON ALFORD.

Witnesses:

FERRE BARNES, M. Gr. SUPPLE, 

